'The Ancient of Days’ by William Blake, was originally published as the front piece to a 1794 work, 'Europe a Prophecy'. Created in a time of mathematical renaissance, 'The Ancient of Days’, shows Urizen, the embodiment of reason and law, holding a compass with which he is measuring & containing the universe. The idea that Blake portrays is that man has the power to create and constrain the universe itself, shaping the world with science and mathematics.